Episode 20: Topping it all off...

The countertops are in!!! Finally! Except for a few finishing touches, the kitchen is complete. I have to wait 24 hours before I can install the water hookups and drains. The kitchen should be functional before the weekend is out.

Cookie Time is at hand.

Project Manager Meggie was moody and decided to tear into a bag of Hershey's Kisses. Another thing that should not be given to canines- chocolate. Fortunately, I banished her to the back yard before she had another opportunity to defile the carpet. She can't claim hunger. She didn't even eat all of her food. Then again, I wouldn't eat her food, either. I can see where simple chocolate would trump the meat and gravy flavored goodness that is Pedigree Small and Crunchy Bites. Who decides that dogs love this stuff, anyway? I don't think they're that picky about what they eat. As far as Meg is concerned, if it's on the floor it's in her world and it's gonna get snarfed, no matter what it is. Seriously. I won't describe some of her past....I can't even call them meals. They don't even qualify as snacks, or tidbits. I don't know what to call them other than disgusting. Ok. That's enough of that.

Episode 19: The End is Near

Today the kitchen looks nothing like it did this time last Friday. The cabinet installation is complete. The countertops should be installed next Friday. We are so close to having a functional kitchen once again. Here are the pictures so far.

Just a couple taken during the installation.

And finally, the kitchen as it appears at this moment.

This weekend I'll try to have all of the appliances connected and set, then I get to move on to the spinoff series, "Extreme Laundry Room Makeover".

Episode 18: Now in Technicolor!!!

Oh, Happy Day! Well, maybe Great day, or something. I have finally finished the kitchen to the point that it is ready for the cabinet installation. After several days of forced labor inflicted upon me by Project Manager Meggie, I can take a breather. I was starting to think that I wouldn't live to see the day. Here are the new pictures.

The kitchen after the primer has been applied.

After all of the cutting in has been done.

And finally, after two coats of paint and cleanup.

The cabinet installers will be here around 8:30 tomorrow morning to install the cabinets. After that it will be about 2 weeks until the countertop is ready and installed. At that point the tile backspash will be installed and I can finish attaching all of the outlets and trimwork. I forgot to mention, the new appliances arrived yesterday morning. It won't be long, now. Then I can move on to the other projects to make the first floor of the house fully functional once again.

Episode 17: Kitchen in view! Oh! The Joy!!!

I spent last night working on the kitchen walls and ceiling. I finally completed the hanging of the drywall, and then proceeded to tape and heavy-coat the joints. It was 2:30am by the time I stopped. I took the day off from work today to complete the kitchen. Yes, it was a planned day off. The cabinets will be installed on Monday. Today they were delivered to our house and are currently taking up space in the living room. The appliances will be delivered tomorrow.

The kitchen after the joints have been taped and heavy-coated.

The cabinets in the living room.

Meg taking a breath after all of that heavy lifting.

I am still shooting to have the kitchen painted by tomorrow night. Heather is off from work on Monday, so she will be here to supervise the cabinet installation. It's finally coming together. I can't wait for this to be completed. Then I can start on finishing the laundry room, the bathroom, and the family room. Some day I will return to my garage, but I don't count on doing so any time soon.

Episode 16: The Piddler on the Woof

After a rough couple of days, the roaming experiment has worked out quite well. After the tunnel incident, we attempted to let Meg roam free, again. Things went well for the first couple of days, until her evil twin appeared. For those of you who don't know Meg's evil twin is known as "Piddler", and for good reason. Let's just say that Piddler marked her territory quite well. The SpotBot was put to maximum use for the first time in quite a while. We had to start putting Meg in the upstairs bathroom. We tried letting her out again, and she seems to have been willing to do anything to regain her freedom. We closed up all of the bedroom doors, so she only has access to the living room and the kitchen. Piddler has not left her mark in at least a week. Hopefully that is the last we will see of Meg's alter-ego.


We finally stripped up the last of the 4 layers of linoleum that infested the kitchen floor. I hate linoleum. My wonderful wife went to Home Depot and rented a linoleum stripper. It worked like a dream. Wish we had found it sooner.


The plumbing and electrical work is complete, with the exception of the installation of the fixtures. That will have to wait until the drywall work has been completed. I started hanging drywall, but ran out of time before the tile floor went down. I won't be able to work on that floor until Wednesday. We have to mop it down with bleach water a couple of times, and then on Monday we can seal the floor. Then we have to wait 72 hours before I can start doing work on it.

Here are some views of the floor.

The cabinets are supposed to go up on February 16th, but with this holdup I don't know if I'll be able to get the walls completed in time. I usually need three days for finishing the drywall, since I can only get in a few hours after work, each day. Painting will be quick. I can prime and paint on Saturday if I can get the finishing done. It all depends on how quickly stuff dries. Not being able to do anything over the floor for a few days definitely throws off my timeline. I'll have to work on the laundry room while I'm waiting. When the floor is ready, I'll need to cover the whole thing in plastic while I work on the finishing and painting. I don't want to have to push back the cabinets, but I just might have to. The new appliances are also scheduled for next Saturday, the 14th. We are so close!